Centrifugal machine for homogenizing



Nov. 14, 1939;A H. L. sAYLoR l -2,1

' QE:.NTRIF1169.".Ll .MACHINE FOR HoMoGENIzINc-i.

Filedrsepngi, 1937 .Ill

Patented liov.t1(4,y 1939 CNTRIFUGL MAcnrNEjFQR y Hward .Saylon Losngeles; Calif., assignerto Homoge'nizer Corporation, Ltdg, .Losangeles,...

` Calif.; a corporation ot'California; i

This invention relates to acentrii'ugal machineV for producing `amixture'oi' liquid elementsin a Y a'homogeneous state.

l The inventionisintended to be used in mak-1 "5 ing creamhfrom mixtureso f butter .and milk. It

' is well `known that cream can beformed from hereinafter.. y

. The invention .consistsin thenovelpartsA andcombination of parts to fbe described i hereinafter; all yof which: contribute to producerarifeiiiciet;l 10x mixtures of butter and n 'lilkvwith` considerable economyof cost .as' compared .Withthecost of; "natural cream. Machines forproducing creamy .from mixtures of buttenandmilk are-now in;

common use, but these machines. are relatifve1yf` very expensive, andarenot at allsuitable for; producing cream infthis WayY in srnal lquantities. In the operation lo f centrifugal machines-for. this '15`purpose, a mixturepf milkand liquid butter'is feci into the machine, andthroughthe agency of 1 j 'centrifugal forcethe molecules .of thebutteryandf. particularly the butter fat, arebroken down yand n combinedwith the molecules of them-ilk to form crean-i'.V`

duce a machine of l simple. construction, which 2 timately mixedtogetherrsolasto utilize Ythe centrifugal force mostfadvantageouslytoprqducejets of the mixture moving at high velocityand to act upon the jetsin such away as to breakdownthe molecules andforrn a `homogenizedmixture 30 Olne 'of the ob'jectsoifV the. invention is-to p ro.

videa construction for the device, which will Voperate in such 'a waythat the rotor will ,automatically raise thejmixtureVV of liquidswhenthe rotor is rotating at a.. highlspeed, and` develop f pressure within`the rotor and therebyattain a ihomogeni'zingeffect; also to providesimple means cooperating with the rotor to augment theaction ofthe rotorin reducing `the mixtureto ya homogeneous state.. x 40 A further objectofthe'invention is to;` provvide. a construction whereby this can-bereadily accomplished without. producing any -rotaryfinlo-r tion ofthe mixture oi liquids in` the-containing .-vessel, or holder. Y 1 'f'-A- further object oi the invention i's toi' pro- -videimprovedmeans forcooperating 'withA the Vrotor forbreaking up the molecules of theliquidbutter, to facilitate their combination withjthe 5 molecules of themilk,toproduce'ahornogeneous Vmixture.V d j A further object ofthe'invention is toconstruct the device so that the rotor lwill beautomatically supplied with the liquidtaken ironia' pointfrfi'earl thelevel of the mixture Whiclnfat thlestarting `its-interior for cleaningthe same;

f me .macnmefv'nu be` 'relatively ricain-putterv s: kFurtherobjects'f-v'oi:v the' invention willlappear;-

centrifugal machineforfhomogenizing;

. VA; preferred' embodiment of: the invention is described in thefollowing` specicatiomz while thej broad. scope Aof the/invention`is-pointed. outl inthe appended'claims. 't f In the drawing: 'l

1 Eig; 1 is vertical. section. throughjfapnaratuszembodying myinvention. l f f i. ,-Fig. -2is ajhorizontalsectiontakenf s ivboiitpon`f The generalcbject oflthisinventionis to proiA f f Figi-Slisaverticalsection-takenatfthellowern- Acan be used to operate upon a-xnixtureofbutter;

and milk, or other ingredientsfthat are toybe in -f` detailsflofthe-device.

located adjacent these outlets =In`gth` tion ofthe machine a relativrotatiic/n,'fis-"de-y veloped .during wl'iichv the teeth."- cutja'crossL they' jets atfahigh .velocityf lias-.;avr very*:high- ,4 homogenizingeflectonfthe mixingllquidsc "Vari-,r ousconstructions ymay be-employedfor gattaining/rf.'Y

- this effect, but in the following;speciilcationithe,;y invention isdescribed as, appliedf-toa', rotorfthatf is drivenv` atahigh speed andwhichf-lsprovided:

vwith a plurality .ofoutlets through Whichcthletsfsg; issue,andasgtherotor rotates-the lv'afi'ic'sforteeth;` adjacent toj them byreason of the;relativearcta@v tioncut across the issuing Jets at'f'ahighfiyelocity;

-v Referring more particularly 1Ito" the .ji-.parts; thai apparatuspreferably;includes"v a'v'esseho' eld'crfivgso.5;V

' for holding'the" mixture 2 that` is tiring@ reducedv f toahomogeneousstate.: This vesselispreier-f,

ably y of substantially circular or cylindrical-IV form;l

'and .preferably on its centralverticalaxis. 15pmvide .arotorl. fThisrotorffs iis,preferably:01.555,;v ,d Y

conical form, that is to say,l the body 4 of the rotor. is preferably ofconical form with its larger end uppermost, and formed of thin sheetmetal so that a conical upwardly expanding chamber 5 5 isforrned inthebody 4. Means is provided for admitting the mixture 2 into the lowerend of this hollow cone 4, and the rotor is so constructed that when itis rotated at `a high speed,v. the liquid within the cone, dueto thecentrifugal force, will climb up the inner face of the conical..l

wall of the body 4, and eventually arrive at the head or upper end ofthe rotor. This head is e011-, i.

structed in such away that the mixture within it will rotate at a veryhigh velocity, thereby developing relatively great centrifugal forceinit,A

and causing the mixture to beprojected*outwardly in one or more streamsfrom the head. For this purpose I prefer to form the centrifugallrotorwith a head 6 of enlarged diameter. This head is of conical form and itslower portionwhere it forms a junction with the upper end of the body 4,preferably forms an angle with a curved face, or iillet, so that thewall of the cone 4 gradually assumes rthe wider angle `of the cone" ofthe head 6. The head 6 alsof preferably includes a' substantiallyvertical cylindricalA flange 8, said ange being provided with aplurality of outlet" means inthe form oforices 9 through whichv theliquid ymixturepasses at a high'velocity due to centrifugal force.'Ihese streams projectedifrom the orifices 9,- strike violently againsta baiilewall I0, which cooperates with the rotor to break l vdown themolecules of the butter so that the same can mix freely with themolecules of the milk to form cream. The head 6- preferably includesacap I I in the form of a slightly'dished plate, and

` this cap is preferably constructed so that it is removable from thebody of the rotor to giveaccess to the chamber 5fforcleaningthe`same. 40For this purpose the cap II is preferably formed with a downwardlyprojecting flange I2 Athat overlaps the flange 8, and which is securedto the same by Adetachable ymeans. preferably. consistingv j ofaplurality of bayonetnslot connections I3 (see Fig'. 1)-. The centralportion of the/cap I I` is provided with a socket fitting I 4 of anysuitable construction to enable theirotor to be rotated by a flexibleshaft, but preferably by m'eans off a small electric motor I5, the shaftof.which. is

provided with aY transverse'driving pin I6 engaging in slots I'I inthesocket fitting I4.' The motor I5 may be lremovably mounted in a holderI8 of yring-form provided with a plurality of legs in the form of postsI9 that are secured :to the cover, 20,01 the vessel I. The baille wallI0 is I preferablyv formed integrally withthe cover Ztl, andtheinnenface of this wall against whichl the centrifugal streams areprojected, is preferably of a roughened character to increase the l6()eect of the centrifugal force inbreaking down the butter fatL molecules.ForV this purpose I prefer to form the innerface of thel baille Illwithinwardly extending projections: preferably in the form of ridges orteeth 2|, the axes of'which extend in aY vertical direction.v Theseteeth, due tothe relative rotation of the rotor, `cut across the'jets ata high velocity.` In the lpresentinstance they have inclinedl facesthat'.meetto gether to form a series of angular or V-shaped recesses 22into which thestreams of the mix-- ture'are projected violently bythecentrifugal force as the teeth cut across the jets.v

.The lower endrof the conical body 4 of the rotor is preferably formedwith a short tubular neckV 23 to Vfacilitate attaching-the vsame to atubularinlet 24, which is in the form of a short sleeve mounted forrotation in a suitable bearing, preferably a ball bearing 25, asindicated. Such a bearing, or other `auitable anti-friction bearing,greatly reduces the resistance and enables a mo- 5 tor to develop a veryhigh speed in the rotor. Thetubularinlet 24 is supplied with liquid fromthe mixture through aplurality-of inlets 26, said inlets preferablyconsisting of a plurality of tubes 21 with upwardly turned ends so thatthe mouths 10 28 of these inlets are located slightly below the lever2a-of the liquid 2.k In constructing the machine, the horizontalextensions of these small bent tubes can be threaded into sockets in thecentral block 29, said block being secured in 15 position byva screw 30that extends up through lthat may be attache'diby any suitable means,4such as the screws 32,;to the upper face of the block i With theconstructiondescribed, it will be evi- 30 dent Athat by removing thecover 20 access can be had to the rotor. The tubular neck 23 of therotor is, of course,` friction-tight on the inlet sleeve'or thimble 24,and the rotor can therefore be removed simplyby'pulling the s am'eupwardly. 35 Afterremoving the rotor, its'cap' II can 'be disengaged 4soas'to give Iaccess to the interior of the rotor for cleaning. o 4 Ifdesired, I may employ construction enabling the guard envelope 3 I to bemore readily remov- 40 able than when attached as illustrated in Fig. 1.SuchV a construction asthis is illustrated in Fig. 3, in which 3Iaindicates the conical shell or envelope to protect the conical b ody4a.of the rotor from coming in contact with the liquid mixture. 45

--'I'he lower end of the conical guard 3Ia may be central bearing 25afor' the conical body 4a`of the centrifugal rotor.

AA considerable part of the homogenizing eiect `is accomplished byreason 'of the factthat the orifices 9 in the rotor head'are lrelativelysmall- 55 in fact it is preferable to havel their total area "less thanthe area of the inlet 24, the result being that the rotor developsconsiderable pressure 1n the liquid within the head, thereby forcing theliquid through-these small orices which has a '60 homogenizing effect.This effect is enhanced by the liquid'streams striking 'violentlyagainst the baille wal1,.I0. V 'i This device will produce a homogeneousmixture, and hence I prefer to call it aV homogeniz- 65r er. AIt isfound in -practice that the homogenizl fingvfeii'ect `when operatingupon a mixture of butter and milk, is greatly facilitated if theelements of the mixture are slightlywarm. For this purpose the vessel Iis preferably set wthinan outer 70 Vvesse13 5 which provides a space 36to receive f "walten vessel with the holder I within-it, can be placedyon a stove if. desired. The inner vesseL-for holder `I, is preferablyrprovided with shortfposts, or feet 31, that hold the bottom as 7:51

l `2,180,301' f v of'the holder I somewhat elevated s oas to prov videcirculationspaoe for the water 36 under it. The cover 20 may beremovably secured in place, for which purpose I prefer to provide itwithV 'a pair of oppositely disposed slots 20a to cooperate with pivotedclamping screws 39,- the llower ends of said screws 39 being secured-onthe relatively high centrifugal force, thisis pref.- erably accomplishedby forming thispart with corrugations 43. The corrugations` may extendradially, or they may be ycircumferential as shown.'r 'I'he drivingconnection between the motor shaft.v

and the socket fitting I4 is preferablya loose connection, and what ispopularly called a sloppyV fit. This insures that the motor will rotatethe rotor eciently without necessitating very accurate alignment betweenthe axis of the rotor andthe axis of the motor shaft The motor may beremovably secured in place by a set screw 44.

The angular form of the pockets between the ridges ofthe baie wall isvery ecient in pro-i ducing the homogenizing effect, probably ne- Ycause the cross-section of the stream is contracted, causing a crowdingor forcing of. the

vliquid into the angles at the bottoms of the pockets. This gives theeffect of a violent slap to the molecules of the mixture. j

I provide means fork opposing any tendency to develop a swirlingmovement in themixture 2. For this purpose I prefer to employ a `bailleor vane 29e projecting upwardly' from a plate v29h .that lies at thebottom 38. This plate 29h if desired, may be formed with an opening` atits inner end to receive the screw 30, enabling the plate to be clampedrigidly between the-bottom face of the central block 29and the bottom38. This vane 29a is inclined in plan (see Fig. 3)

so that it gives a mixing effect in .whatever swirl ,I

effect that takes place, by deectingrthe outer portions of the mixtureinwardly toward the center.

which' the liquid impinges. A

As indicated, there are `preferably `two of the tubes 21, rwhichmaylbelocated diametrically oppgsitelto each other, with intermediate. inletopenings `2'Iafofr admitting .the mixturedirectly int the intake 24.

n What` I claim" is:

1. In a centrifugal machinefor'reducing a mix',-`

ture of liquid elements yto'a homogeneous state,

tially vertical axis, means for admitting the liquid liquid .in saidchamber,l means for rotating the rotorA ata high velocity, 'and therebycausing the liquid to rise within the same and be prothrough the voutletmeans, anda baille surrounding the rotor and against which the liquid isvprothe combinationof a vesselhaving a chamber forr y holding saidliquid'elements, a centrifugal rotor mounted to rotate within the vesselcna' substanfrom the chamber to the interior of said rotor, said 1 vrotor-havingfoutlet meansabove the level of the rjected violentlyoutwardly j by centrifugal force `jected through said voutlet means,Asaid baille havf ing teeth extending in a general vertical direc- Ytion Vand projecting toward the rotor, and against y A 2. In acentrifugal machine for reducing a 'mixture of liquid elements to ahomogeneous state, the 'combination of means for forcing the liquidthrough aplurality of outlets in the form of jets moving at'ahighvelocity, a member hav--y inga .plurality of teeth'located adjacent tothe said outlets, said means operating to cause a relative rotationbetween the outlets andk the said 3. In a centrifugal machineforreducing `a mix ture ofliquid elements to a homogeneous state, thecombination of a vessel,-a centrifugal rotorA mounted to rotate ,withinthevessel on a substan l tiallyvertical axis, means for admitting theliquid mixture to the interior of saidv rotor, said rotor -havingoutletameans for rotatingthe rotor .at

'member tojcause said teethto cut/across ther jetsat a high velocity.

al high velocity, and thereby causing the `liquid tof -be projectedviolently outwardly by centrifugal force in jets through the outlets,and a baille surrounding the rotor and having teethadjacentthe outletsagainst which the liquid is projected across the said jets'as the rotorrotates.

" ,l .j HOWARD L. sAYL'on.

*through said outlets, said teeth operating to cut

